The new StarCraft II publishing system on Battle.net allows you to publish your maps and mods directly to the Battle.net service, where they are permanently stored online and made available for others to play within the game. If you want to play your map online with other players, or if you want others to be able to use your mod in their maps, they need to be posted using the publishing system. Below you'll find details and information on how to begin using the publishing system, and some of the nuances to help you on your way.

Note: The default Battle.net host in the editor is currently not configured with the correct beta information. Before you can publish from the editor, you will need to change this setting by doing the following:

Use the File > Preferences command from any editor window

Select the Battle.net item in the list

Change the Host value to: us-beta.logon.battle.net

Click OK

Publishing Your Map or Mod
Publishing is done through the editor. First, open the map or mod you want to publish, and use the File > Publish command from any module window. This will open a dialog for configuring the details of the publish, as follows:

Log In - Click the Log In button in the left panel to log in to Battle.net using your Battle.net account and StarCraft II character.

Published Name - The published name of your map or mod is what uniquely identifies it on Battle.net, and this name must not already be in use by any existing map or mod that has already been published by another user. By default, this will be the name defined through Map > Map Info or in the Document Info component within the Overview Manager.

If this name is already in use, or you simply want to publish using a different name, click the Change Name button to enter a new name. You may also specify a different name for each language the game supports, but this is not required. Note that the name in each language is required to be unique across all languages.

Revision - Each published file has a version number associated with it. When you re-publish a map or mod that you have already published (that is, using the same published name), this version number will be incremented automatically. You can choose to increment it as a Minor revision, which generally means only small tweaks or fixes have been made, or as a Major revision, which means significant changes have been made.

Release (Maps only) - When you choose a Private release, the map will not be available to other players within the game, and only you yourself will be able to create games using this map, after which you may invite other players into the game. This is a good way to test your map with friends online before releasing it to everyone. When you choose a Public release, the map will be available to the entire StarCraft II community, and anyone can create a game using your map.

Author - The author name will automatically display as your StarCraft II character, or you may optionally choose Show Real Name to have your real name shown instead.

Locked For Editing (Maps only) - Before publishing a map for the first time, you are required to choose whether it will be Locked or Unlocked.

A Locked map, once published, cannot be opened in the editor by anyone, including yourself. Choose this option if you want to prevent others from viewing or copying your map using the editor. However, make sure to retain a local copy of your map for future modification in the editor.

An Unlocked map can be opened by other users within the editor. Choose this option if you would like share your map with other map makers. This is a good way to contribute to the map making community, but keep in mind that others will be able to copy and publish the map as their own.

Locked (Owner Use Only) (Mods only) - Similar to maps, mods must also be either Locked or Unlocked.

A Locked mod will not be available to other users, and only you will be able to include it in the maps you make.

An Unlocked mod can be used by others in their maps, and sharing your mods with other map makers can benefit the map making community significantly. But as with maps, remember that an unlocked mod may also be copied by others.

Storage Requirements - Battle.net has the following limits for published files per user: up to five individual maps or mods (represented as "slots" in the dialog), with no more than 20 MB total size, and no more than 10 MB used for any single map or mod.

If there are any additional requirements for publishing the map or mod, they will be listed on the left. Once everything has been configured, you can accept the dialog, and your file will be uploaded to Battle.net. Upload progress can be seen in the File Transfers window which will automatically be shown. When the upload is complete, you can get online in the game and play your map!

Managing Your Published Files
Once you've published one or more files to Battle.net, you can use the File > Manage Published command from any editor module to open a window for viewing all of your currently published files. You can log in to Battle.net from this window, and must do so in order to see your files.

Storage Used - Shows you how many publishing slots and how much storage space is currently being used by your account.

File List - Lists all maps and mods published to your account, with basic details about the status of the file. Selecting a file will show additional information and the preview image on the right.

Remove From Account - This button will remove the selected map or mod from your account and free up a storage slot. This means it will no longer be available for play or use through the Battle.net service. Note that for mods, any existing published maps that include the mod will still be able to access the old mod data, but newly created maps will no longer be able to use it.

Open In Editor - This button will open the map or mod in the editor, where it can be modified and saved to a new local file. This can only be done for Unlocked maps or mods.

Storage Requirements - Battle.net has the following limits for published files per user: up to five individual maps or mods (represented as "slots" in the dialog), with no more than 20 MB total size, and no more than 10 MB used for any single map or mod.

rofl 10mb doesn't even count as a mini mod these days much less an actual mod. Looks like sites like CC will be running business as usual.

Oh wait, you still can't ever play them online!

Without an external exe, that is.

Yep, business as usual. Now, where's Quantam...

/e

Also the 5 map limit will be fatal to melee map makers and stuff like tournament mappers.

Unless you can still host normally but I doubt it. B.net's offline right now so can't see.

Last edited by IskatuMesk on Fri May 21, 2010 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

So after playing around with this for a bit I can't see how anyone, anywhere found this to be an improvement over locally hosting maps (which you can't do currently over battle.net) and completely cock blocking a map entirely if the original creator decides to free up map slots on his account especially if its locked.

Seriously who comes up with this shit? We pretty much have the release client and the you still have to scroll through a list of players, pre-placed AI players don't even work at all with Test Map and you have to manually add them in a custom game over battle.net to even do anything and then player race detecting triggers that worked fine in WC3 don't work at all for yourself.

Its not even possible to be logged into the editor and SC2 at the same time which also brought me to testing something else, what happens if you lose your battle.net connection in a game by logging into the editor...

Yeah you are gone if your connection is interrupted to battle.net in any way, I also don't know why I still have to select a character after logging in when we are limited to 1 per account.

Oh yeah it will probobly be a paid service for additional character slots.

Its also possible at the moment to grief map names by creating and deleting a map if it even works at all, I can republish my own deleted map with the same name but I have no idea about anyone else being able to.

EDIT: Heres one from the battle.net forums, it won't let you upload maps that have anything the in-game chat filter blocks.

It did tell me that I had a language issue. When I tried to publish it gave a pop up window message that said i had the word "suicide" in my map. I just went and renamed the "baneling - suicide copy" to baneling - explosion and that fixed it for me.

Last edited by UntamedLoli on Fri May 21, 2010 11:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hunter_Killers wrote:
EDIT: Heres one from the battle.net forums, it won't let you upload maps that have anything the in-game chat filter blocks.

It did tell me that I had a language issue. When I tried to publish it gave a pop up window message that said i had the word "suicide" in my map. I just went and renamed the "baneling - suicide copy" to baneling - explosion and that fixed it for me.

Geez, it even check for censored words (according to them) inside maps before publishing? I could understand on the borderline for some cases but "suicide"? I think it's pretty much a legitimate word unless Blizzard also became scareycats for every non-political word possible.

EDIT : Even "God" is censored. More to come if I do find more.

Last edited by Ricky_Honejasi on Sat May 22, 2010 8:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

Ricky_Honejasi wrote:
Geez, it even check for censored words (according to them) inside maps before publishing? I could understand on the borderline for some cases but "suicide"? I think it's pretty much a legitimate word unless Blizzard also became scareycats for every non-political word possible.

EDIT : Even "God" is censored. More to come if I do find more.

This is insane. It looks like Blizzard has gone Overmind on us.

"Serve the hive. Feel the groove. I control the way you use the software."

I wonder if "Mohammed" is censored (like Comedy Central did). Tough luck to any authors whose name is Mohammed.

I suspect the root of all evil is the vaunted "PREMIUM CONTENT!!!" Look at all the things that are conceivably required for Blizzard to enforce payment for it:

No hosting local map/mod files off your comp. Otherwise you might be able to hack a piece of PREMIUM CONTENT and host it without paying or requiring anyone else to pay.

No LAN, because that might require some form of local hosting and Blizzard wouldn't be able to spy on you to make sure you aren't abusing PREMIUM CONTENT!

No private servers, for the same reason. Blizzard threatened to sue over this with the claim of "oh noes piracy!"

Severe limits on how much map/mod content you can field, because Blizzard has limited space and won't let you host off your comp.

Severe limits on WHAT you can upload, because since Blizzard now hosts the files on its own servers, it can't claim not to be responsible for objectionable material.

Maybe I've just grown cynical, but I'm afraid that the only way Blizzard might consider reversing any of these is if everyone refuses to buy or sell PREMIUM CONTENT.

Xenon wrote:Maybe I've just grown cynical, but I'm afraid that the only way Blizzard might consider reversing any of these is if everyone refuses to buy or sell PREMIUM CONTENT.

I find it ridiculous for the following reasons (other than some you already said) :

1) If any map convert to "Premium content", I would suspect that Blizzard employees would check the map beforehand and such before allowing it when it crosses into the money realm. There should NOT have heavy string filters for non-premium content. Such heavy filters should ONLY in place if someone wants to submit content for employee review towards a premium content ascension.

2) If Blizzard honestly wants cash off SC2 (including via Premium content) odds are they will be making much easier cash either with their Facebook integration, their own premium content maps/mods and so on (which might include paying for those extra map slots/space unfortunately) rather than Premium content made by their customers.

And no, you are not the only growing cynical. I had a minimum of faith that Blizzard would not do overly ridiculous decisions but that faith did took quite a hit in patch 13. I honestly hope that they will change for release.

I was hoping for mapping to be the saving grace for SC2, but all of these restrictions are downright invasive. I mean, really... five maps? If this doesn't get changed by release I'm not buying the game.

Scrub perspective here, but doesn't that just mean CC projects will remain more community based and require us to download and install off the site? Or is this limit so much of a big deal that you can't even make a good custom map (TD/DOTA/PUDGE WARS/ETC)?

Bnet is free, so they are going to justify it by their stingyness. Or is there a lot more shafting going on than my 5 second skim of this thread?

I don't think I'll even be working on any custom campaigns let alone a map, especially with how they've got this map publishing crap going.

Just one sentence I'll say about how they have it structured but I'm not so sure I would even bother writing it, especially since it involves a LOT of cursing.

"I figure language is a poor enough a means of communication as it is so we have to use all the words we've got. Besides, there are damned few words that everybody understands"
~Henry Drummond, Lawyer from Inherit the Wind

First Time Attempt at an LP:
[url]https://plus.google.com/u/0/110762779327102029687/posts/A1UWNRafWZT?pid=6149648681644876370&oid=110762779327102029687P[/url]

Xelxiuz wrote:
Scrub perspective here, but doesn't that just mean CC projects will remain more community based and require us to download and install off the site? Or is this limit so much of a big deal that you can't even make a good custom map (TD/DOTA/PUDGE WARS/ETC)?

Bnet is free, so they are going to justify it by their stingyness. Or is there a lot more shafting going on than my 5 second skim of this thread?

In summary :
1) Can't host maps unless they are published (unless we use that annoying backdoor method that require EVERY player to use it)
2) Ridiculous censorship will probably kill lots of our maps combined to #1 due to some stray word that censor that didn't like when trying to publish. Note that having a SINGLE "god" or "suicide" word in your map will prevent to be published.

Technically it will be still possible to have good custom maps but it will feel that you will have to be more politically correct than politicians themselves (no joke) to get anything accepted and concretely playable.

EDIT : Forgot to mention the size limit which will kill any big project but to the worst, I guess we could "pool" our size limit/slots up to a point to minimize the issues even if it's not convenient at all.